October’s heartbreak seems to have followed Nestor Cortes into his Milwaukee Brewers debut. What was supposed to be a triumphant homecoming quickly spiraled into disaster, as Cortes endured one of the most humiliating performances in MLB history. And the worst part? Facing the familiar faces of his former Yankees teammates, who turned his outing into a nightmare that shattered records—and perhaps his career prospects.
Well, seems to be the case, given Cortes’ performance. He got hit hard right out of the gate, giving up back-to-back home runs on his very first three pitches in the bottom of the first inning. Can you believe it? It was the first time in MLB history that a team homered on three straight pitches to start a game! Sadly, it didn’t stop there. Cortes allowed two more home runs before he was pulled from the game without recording a single out in the third inning. It was a rough homecoming for the guy who used to shine in pinstripes.
no pitcher in mlb history had ever given up 5 home runs and walked 5 batters in a game without facing at least 35 batters
nestor cortes today did it while facing only 17 batters pic.twitter.com/93ur5AoeGX
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 29, 2025
The Yankees put on an absolute show against the Brewers, hitting a whopping nine home runs in a wild 20-9 blowout. They set a new franchise record for homers in a game, and it was a sight to see! This was certainly not the impression Brewers’ new pitcher wanted to make, but maybe, Yankees planned it all along. “We know Nestor, he’s been here for years. We just try to go out there and be aggressive on our zone,” Yankees’ Aaron Judge said.
In the history of MLB, no one besides Cortes has managed to pull off such a dismal record. He gave up five home runs and walked five batters—all while facing just 17 hitters, setting an embarrassing record in the process. What’s more tragic, perhaps for his career trajectory, not too long ago, he found himself in a tough spot during Game 1 of the World Series. On his very first pitch to Freddie Freeman, Cortes allowed him to launch a walk-off grand slam into the stands, sending Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium into a frenzy and giving the Yankees a gut-wrenching 6-3 loss.
The outing was so devastating that Cortes skipped the usual postgame media session. He left the stadium without speaking to reporters—a move that raised eyebrows and broke standard protocol. But his teammates were present, and manager Pat Murphy took a moment to address the situation.
Brewers manager stays optimistic about Nestor Cortes
Cortes’ Brewers debut was far from ideal. Still, manager Murphy managed to find some positive aspects. After all, it’s just the start, there’s a long way to go. He even highlighted some positive moments from the game, though they were largely overshadowed by Cortes’ rough outing. “You think you’ve seen it all, and you haven’t. Because we saw it today: Three pitches, three homers. It’s like, really? Usually, you wake up from that, you know what I mean? You go, Ah that can’t ever happen,” said Murphy in post-game media interaction.
Based on Murphy’s statement, it seemed like witnessing something unprecedented was almost expected. After all, records are meant to be broken, right? remains optimistic about Cortes, emphasizing that it’s just the beginning of his journey with the Brewers. And why not? Cortes had a pretty good 2024 regular season, where he went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA, 31G, 174.1 IP, 162 strikeouts, and a 1.15 WHIP. That’s why it might be too early to judge a player of his caliber.
Brewers’ first baseman Jake Bauers agrees. He has expressed confidence in Cortes, stating that he believes Cortes will bounce back and prove to be solid for the team. Yankees captain Judge, whose strategy against Coster worked brilliantly, also praised him: “He’s one of the best lefty pitchers in the game. He’s a guy that’s gonna go out there, throw strikes, attack you.” Though no one solely blamed Cortes, it was a nightmare for him. And he would like to forget it as soon as possible for his own sake.
What are your thoughts on Nestor Cortes’ rough Brewers debut? Let us know in the comments below.
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